


Lessons

by fangirl_squee



Series: homies help homies, always [28]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2013-05-19
Packaged: 2017-12-12 08:53:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/809696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, how Marius and Grantaire became unofficial tutors at the community centre.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to say thank you, so much, to everyone who has commented or left kudos on this series so far. You guys have been so lovely to me, and I'm so glad you like reading about these two as much as I like writing it :)
> 
> This one is set before Volunteering.

Marius knows Grantaire volunteers down at the community centre pretty regularly. He’s there most afternoons before he heads to work, and sometimes even on the weekends during the day if he doesn’t have anything urgent to work on for class. Grantaire usually makes his own way there, even though Marius does offer to drive.

 

“I’m not going to make you drive all the way there just to pick me up,” says Grantaire, “I can walk there after class in no time.”

 

It doesn’t come up again until the weather starts to get colder. It rains on and off for a week. The second time Grantaire comes home soaking wet from his walk home from the bus stop, Marius puts his foot down.

 

“Next time, I _am_ picking you up,” says Marius, handing him a towel.

 

Grantaire laughs, and the movement flicks drops of water onto the floor. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Marius drives over the next day through the pouring rain. He dodges puddles in the car park, and has to practically leap over one to get to the door. He’s not exactly sure where to go once he gets inside, so he follows the sound of music and people through the corridor. As he gets closer, he can tell that it’s not a CD, it’s someone actually playing.

 

When he opens the door the room’s occupants – Grantaire and six teenagers – turn to stare. Grantaire is sitting at an old piano with a pre-teen-looking girl, two girls and one boy are sitting together with battered looking guitars, and two boys are at a long table, books scattered around them.

 

“Um, hello,” says Marius, and gives them an awkward wave.

 

 “Everyone, this is Marius. He’s generously making sure I don’t drown on my way home, so be nice to him. Although,” adds Grantaire, “you are like half an hour early.”

 

“I didn’t get as lost as I thought I would,” says Marius, “I brought some of my class stuff, so I can just study until you’re ready to go.”

 

Grantaire nods, and turns his attention back to the girl at the piano. He plays something quick and jazzy, which the girl copies. Marius goes to sit down at the desk. One of the boys, a scrawny-lanky redhead, gives him a curious look.

 

“Do you mind if I sit here? I was just going to do some reading,” says Marius.

 

“Sure. I’m Tom, and this is Adrian.” The other boy’s floppy brown hair covers his face as he waves a hand in greeting, without looking up from where he’s scribbling notes down. “You and Grantaire, like, live together right? He talks about you sometimes.”

 

“Yeah, I’d probably be homeless if it wasn’t for him,” says Marius, pulling a few books out of his bag.

 

Both boys look up at that. “For real?” says Adrian.

 

“Yeah, I sort of got kicked out of my family. But everything worked out okay in the end,” says Marius.

 

“Grantaire helped me with that too,” says Tom, “my dad, uh, didn’t deal well with me coming out, so Grantaire helped me find a place to stay.”

 

Adrian nods. “Grantaire’s one of the good ones.”

 

Marius smiles. “He certainly is.”

 

They all turn back to their work. Marius is about half-way through writing a counter-argument to his assigned reading, when Tom groans in annoyance. Marius looks up, and Adrian rolls his eyes at him over the table.

 

“Stop being such a drama queen about this, it’s just homework,” says Adrian.

 

“But it’s going to be on the, like, big, important test thing,” says Tom, “I actually need to be able to remember this shit.”

 

“What are you studying?” asks Marius.

 

“A bunch of different eras, but the one on Friday is on ancient Rome,” says Tom.

 

“I could help, if you want? I mean, I was always kind of good at history,” says Marius.

 

“Seriously? That would be awesome,” says Tom, “any, like, memory tricks or anything would be seriously, _seriously_ , appreciated.”

 

Marius goes through the work with him, and a little of Adrian’s stuff as well. By the time Grantaire’s ready to leave they’ve gone through about half of the boy’s class notes.

 

“Thanks,” says Tom.

 

Marius shoves his own books back into his bag. “It was no problem. I’ll probably pick Grantaire up tomorrow as well, if you want to go through some more stuff?”

 

Tom and Adrian both smile at him.

 

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks,” says Tom.

 

Marius’ class finishes early, so he heads straight to the community centre. This time, Grantaire is leading guitar lessons, and the piano-playing girl is sitting with Tom and Adrian. Marius waves to Grantaire, and goes to sit at the table.

 

“This is Katie,” says Tom.

 

Katie grins widely at him with bright purple braces. “Hi.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” says Marius, “what are you guys studying today?”

 

“Still Rome,” says Tom.

 

“AP Chemistry,” says Adrian.

 

“Shakespeare,” says Katie.

 

“I can help with that, if you want?” asks Marius.

 

By the end of the week Marius is at the community centre almost as much as Grantaire is, helping them with their homework as much as he can. He’s not as good at science as he is at literature and history, but he was good enough at his own AP classes in high school to get a scholarship, so Marius thinks he’s probably doing all right.

 

He drives Grantaire there on Monday, even though it’s not raining. Tom is waiting for them when they arrive, and he waves a paper around in the air.

 

“I passed! My best score yet!” He’s grinning wide, and Marius grins back.

 

“That’s great! I knew you could do it,” says Marius.

 

“We’ve got another test coming up soon though in, like, a couple of weeks, do you think you could help us with that too?” asks Tom.

 

“Sure,” says Marius.

 

 

(Marius tutors there from then on. Grantaire takes some for music lessons, and Marius sits on the opposite side of the room. Some of the kids bring their friends, and in a month’s time their after-school sessions have tripled in size.

 

It’s not the big social change he strives for with Les Amis, but when they all pass, with flying colours, Marius thinks that this might even be better.)

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated: fangirl-squee.tumblr.com/ask


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